Ground Turkey Lettuce Wraps Recipe
Something shifted in me these last few years and now I cannot seem to get enough Mexican food!
Healthy Mexican Breakfast Casserole for breakfast.
Instant Pot al Pastor Tacos for lunch.
And then dinner… why, these ground turkey taco lettuce wraps, of course! It’s taco night sans taco shells and flour tortillas.
While most Mexican food is often laden with cheese and dripping with unhealthy grease, that doesn’t always have to be the case!
The seasonings and spices give most dishes in this cuisine TONS of flavor, so it is really simple to come up with a variety of easy variations to fit any dietary needs.
However, you do have to remember that corn is NOT allowed on a keto diet. (So, unfortunately, corn tortillas are out of the question.)
Instead, you can wrap your favorite ground turkey taco filling in a cozy lettuce wrap and munch away with your favorite taco fixings! It’s a low-carb Taco Tuesday kind of recipe. Healthy eating never tasted so good…
(And if you LOVE lettuce wraps then you’ll definitely want to check out these Peanut Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps and these Ground Chicken Thai Lettuce Wraps!)
Ingredients
The ingredients you need to make these healthy turkey taco lettuce wraps are:
- Lettuce. Romaine lettuce leaves have a nice size and crispy texture while offering nutrients. Iceberg lettuce and butter leaf lettuce may also be used in this low carb dish.
- Ground Turkey. This lean protein keeps this recipe healthy. Ground or shredded chicken, lean ground beef, shrimp, or veggies would also make great fillings.
- Bell Peppers. Red bell pepper offers a nice flavor and color. You may also use green, yellow, or orange peppers.
- Onion. Red onion is used in this recipe for its pop of flavor. Sweet and yellow onions are slightly milder and may be used instead. Be sure to dice the onion and peppers into small pieces.
- Taco Seasoning Mix. Store-bought taco seasoning can be used. Or, make your own Taco Seasoning for the Mexican flavors.
- Salsa. This is where the lettuce wraps get a lot of their flavor. Make sure to use a salsa you really love! You can easily make your own Roasted Tomato Salsa, Fresh Tomato Salsa, or Tomatillo Salsa.
- Oil. Mildly flavored oils like olive oil or avocado oil are best to use.
- Toppings. Fresh tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro really put the flavors and texture over the top!
How to Make Taco Lettuce Wraps
Here are the steps to follow for making these Mexican-style lettuce wraps:
Make the Filling
Cook the bell pepper and onion in oil over medium heat in a large skillet until the onions begin to turn translucent.
Push the veggies to the side of the pan and place the turkey in the middle. Cook while stirring for 5 to 7 minutes. Once browned, mix the veggies and turkey together.
Sprinkle in the taco seasoning and salsa. Stir until combined. Then, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer for 5-10 minutes. This allows the flavors to really marry.
Assemble the Wraps
Make the lettuce wraps by filling each of the romaine lettuce leaves with turkey filling, then garnish with your favorite taco toppings.
You can use anything you’d put on traditional tacos, like sour cream, fresh salsa, avocado, a little cheese, chopped green onions, and even black olives.
Be sure not to add too much filling to each piece of lettuce, otherwise they may fall apart. If you prefer, you can double up the lettuce for added stability.
Meal Prep and Storage
- To Prep-Ahead: Cook taco meat and clean and cut the toppings. Store the meat and toppings separately. Wait to prep the avocado until just before serving.
- To Store: Keep the cooked meat and prepared toppings in individual airtight containers for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
- To Freeze: Leftover taco meat can be frozen in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to 3-4 months. The lettuce and toppings will not freeze well so you will need to prep these just before serving.
- To Reheat: Add the taco meat to a skillet over medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Once warmed, assemble the wraps with the toppings.
What lettuce to use for lettuce wraps?
Romaine lettuce is best for lettuce wraps due to its large size and crisp texture. Butter leaf and iceberg are also good options as their leaves are also large enough to fit a lot of fillings and make excellent low-carb tacos.
How to roll a lettuce wrap?
To roll a lettuce wrap, simply scoop some filling into the middle and fold the edges around it. Be careful not to overfill it, or the lettuce will rip and the filling will fall out! Don’t forget your favorite toppings, too.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Gotta love it. The salsa gives the ground turkey a ton of its flavor, so make sure you really like the one you’re using!
- DIY. Homemade taco seasoning is the best to use since you can control the spice level and how much sodium goes into it.
- Let it sit. Be sure to let the meat, veggies, and seasonings simmer to get the most flavor.
- Wait a bit. Since they turn brown pretty quickly, wait to cut the avocado until very last minute.
- Switch it up. Different lettuces will have a softer bite or more of a crunch, so switch them up until you find one you like!
What to Serve with Lettuce Wraps?
These healthy lettuce wraps are a healthy dinner idea for the whole family, especially when you add any of these delicious sides.
You can’t go wrong with Homemade Guacamole or Homemade Pico de Gallo. Or, try a fruit salsa like Mango Salsa, Mango Avocado Salsa, or Pineapple Pico de Gallo with these healthy tacos. Whip up your own Homemade Tortilla Chips, too.
Of course, Mexican Street Corn Salad, Instant Pot Mexican Rice, Cilantro Lime Rice, and Instant Pot Black Beans go with any Mexican dish.
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Taco Lettuce Wraps
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Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 cup onion finely chopped, divided
- ½ cup red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 lb. ground turkey 93/7
- 3 Tbsp. taco seasoning mix
- ½ cup salsa mild or medium
- 8 Romaine lettuce leaves*
- 1 large avocado finely diced
- 1 cup tomatoes finely diced
- ¼ cup cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, bell pepper, and ½ cup onion. Saute for 3-4 minutes, or until onions become translucent.
- Push vegetables to the side of the pan and add last tablespoon of olive oil and ground turkey. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until turkey is cooked through. Mix vegetables with ground turkey once fully cooked.
- Add taco seasoning and salsa, stir well, and reduce heat to simmer. Cover and let turkey taco mixture simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- When ready to serve, fill each lettuce cup up with equal amounts of ground turkey mixture and top with avocado, tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro. Serve immediately and enjoy!
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Notes
Pro Tips and Tricks
Use a salsa you really like. The salsa gives the ground turkey a ton of its flavor, so make sure you really like the one you’re using! Make taco seasoning from scratch. Homemade taco seasoning is the best to use since you can control the spice level and how much sodium goes into it. Prep the avocados just before serving. Since they turn brown pretty quickly, wait to cut the avocado until very last. Switch up the lettuce wraps. Different lettuces will have a softer bite or more of a crunch, so switch them up until you find one you like!Meal Prep and Storage
- To Prep-Ahead: Cook taco meat and clean and cut the toppings. Store the meat and toppings separately. Wait to prep the avocado until just before serving.
- To Store: Keep the cooked meat and prepared toppings in individual airtight containers for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
- To Freeze: Leftover taco meat can be frozen in a freezer-safe airtight container for 3-4 months. The lettuce and toppings will not freeze well.
- To Reheat: Add the taco meat to a skillet over medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Once warmed, assemble the wraps with the toppings.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is the nutritional information for 1 lettuce wrap or 2?
The nutritional information is for one-fourth of the recipe. If you’re doing 8 leaves of lettuce, it would be for 2!
Ok you have a variety of veggies in this wrap along with your meat. So where is the salsa or taco sauce? I always have had this served with tacos?
You can choose your favorite taco sauce or salsa to serve alongside these!
If I use ground beef instead is that still keto friendly?
Yes, Brandy! Ground beef is totally keto-friendly 🙂
Where do you get the nutritional values? I put them into a calculator because I was omitting the red pepper and I can’t get it to anywhere near 293 calories
Hi Shannon! Thank you so much for asking. It was originally calculated without the avocado (since it can be optional). I have updated the new nutritional values to reflect the avocado in there. Sorry for any confusion!!
Did I miss a step? You sauteed onions and bell pepper, put them to the side of the pan while you cooked the ground turkey… but never addressed them again…
Are you to incorporate the sauteed veggies with the turkey?
Hi Pat! Sorry for any confusion. You mix them all together before serving. I will be sure to update the recipe to reflect this. Thanks for letting me know!
Ooooh yum! I love lettuce tacos!
Yay, Catherine!! I do too 🙂 They’re so healthy and nourishing. Thanks for the comment!